The Opportunity for Life
by Knighted-Geek
Summary: AU Ending. Caleb did walk towards the Whisperers' spaceship, but at the last moment turned around. He wasn't about to leave his father alone; his father didn't deserve it.


**The Opportunity for Life**

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything_

Caleb rubbed at his watering eyes as he walked towards the spaceship where the Whisperers were waiting. The nearest one extended his arm to him and Abby as they came close and another gestured towards the ship's doorway. Abby moved immediately forward, grabbing its hand and disappearing inside, cradling her white rabbit in her arms. Caleb however, stood still in front of them, looking anxiously at the large ship.

The Whisperers continued to talk in his head, telling him of the wondrous chance he and Abby, along with many other children, had been granted. They filled his head once again with visions of their future planet they were to inhabit and sent him words of comfort, reminding him of how, unlike here on Earth, he would be able to have a future and enjoy it. This Caleb agreed as he knew that here on Earth he would never be able to live any kind of like, but out there, on the new world, he could live on. He and Abby could live on the planet with the other children and build a future together. He stepped forward and grabbed the extended hand of a whisperer. He was ready to leave now. He had decided.

And then the agonising sobs of his father rang out.

Caleb stopped. Guilt filled his mind at the idea that he was leaving his father, alone, to die. He couldn't understand why he hadn't considered this. After all, this man had looked after him his whole life, mostly alone, once his mother had died. And now he was just going to abandon him? After everything his father had done for him? As the sobs continued he recognised the similarity between those being shed now and those his father had shed at the news of his mother's death. Caleb stifled a loud sob at the reminder of his mother and tried to put the thoughts of her to the back of his mind.

His father continued to sob in the background, but was now being drowned out by the loud and chaotic mutterings of the Whisperers that tried to convince Caleb to go with them. Only Caleb ignored them, and let the Whisperer's hand drop from his own and then let the bunny, that was nestled in his other arm, drop to the ground. As Caleb predicted the whisperers intensified their talking in his head, coaxing him to come with them.

Conversely, he ignored them. Turning around, he sprinted the short distance back to his father, closing the gap he had created and ultimately returning to the man who had always been there for him and if there had been any time left, always would be.

He crashed into the man and scrambled to grab onto his dark coat in order to bury himself into it and hug tightly onto him, but he felt his father's hands gently push him away and deny the hug.

"You have to go back Caleb, survive," he choked on his words, "-survive, for me. Pl-ease Caleb, please." His father desperately tried to hold back his weeping, and turned his head to discreetly wipe his eyes which Caleb did not miss.

"I could- I would never abandon you dad. I'm sorry."

His father's voice hardened. "Understand this: out there… you have a chance, but here? Nothing! You die… like me, …like everyone else."

Caleb shook his head fiercely in protest. Despite what his father wanted, he wouldn't leave his side.

"But Caleb, we're going to die… I'm going to die, you can save yourself. You can be with Abby. Please… please do this for me. Just do it for me, please."

"But Dad, what happened to us staying together? As a family?"

His father didn't reply, instead dropping his arms in defeat. Caleb wrapped his arms around him but there was no return of affection from his father.

A few seconds later and Caleb finally decided to answer the whisperers whose talking was cluttering his head and consequently his thoughts. He wanted them to stop.

"I won't come with you." The Whisperers replied, showing him the beautiful fields that he could experience, the children he would meet and life he would be able to lead among the cornfields. Caleb shook his head slowly and rejected their offer. "I don't care." He only wanted to be with his father.

The whisperers silenced, realising he wouldn't go with them and returned to their ship, while he turned back to his father who looked at him pleadingly, wishing dearly that he would go onto the spaceship.

"Caleb. This is it. Do you not want to live your life?"

Caleb stared deeply into his eyes that like him brimmed with tears and then hugged his father tightly which was returned immediately. They stayed like that for a while and he barely noticed the take-off of the ship, but at the sound of burning timber he was brought back to the chaos so close to them.

"Dad. I love you."

To which he was rewarded with a teary reply. "I love you too."

And as the trees around them began to alight, as the world burnt Caleb spoke for the last time. "Will we meet Mom?"

"Of course we will," his father said, wrapping his arms and coat around Caleb as the fire spread towards them and began to engulf the two of them.

And as the earth ignited in a stunning blaze Abby watched from the spaceship, her arms full with the two white rabbits.

* * *

_Although I loved the movie, it made me wish that Caleb and Jonathan were eventually together at the end. I also changed it so the solar flares occurred minutes after the Whisperers left and that his father doesn't return to Boston to reunite with his father. So, hope people enjoyed it and that it might contribute to the small numbers of fics for this movie. So review, favorite and follow and thanks for reading._


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